Hello everyone. I know this is probably the most common topic posted about, but I need help.
About a month ago I went ahead and replaced my power steering pump, rack and pin, alternator, belt tension, and I believe it was the low pressure line I replaced. The replacement went well and everything is installed. I removed the existing solenoid and installed it on the new rack. Upon inspecting the mesh filter on the solenoid i noticed a lot of metal shavings covering it. While trying to remove and clean it, I accidentally punched holes in the mesh, but figured it was fine and put it all back together and onto the rack. I bled the system for almost an hour. No bubbles in the reservoir and the pump makes zero noise. Steering is perfect while jacked up in the air. I went to drive it and noticed it was impossible to turn the steering wheel while in park. It frees up when I drive and when I give it gas, but as soon as I stop giving it gas it becomes very hard to turn. Especially when trying to pull into a parking spot. My question is, is the solenoid bad or does the mesh filter need to be replaced? If it's the solenoid then that's ****ty because they're very expensive. Of not the solenoid, THEM WHAT IS THE WORLD IS CAUSING MY STIFF STEERING. I got an alignment, ble the system more. Got new tires. The solenoid has to be the issue. Recently i noticed a leak around the area where the solenoid is screwed in but havent looked much further. Any info/help would be appreciated. This is my daily car and I'm at my wits end trying to figure it out, especially after the three days it took to replace everything. I've looked everywhere for an answer and haven't found one. Again, anything helps. Thank you to anyone in advance.

 

This sounds similar to what I experienced over the last year and it is a very difficult problem to trace. If you can find a power steering specialist in your area they can check pressures at the pump and at the rack and help diagnose it. I chose to just drive it for a while as-is to see if it either freed up whatever was wrong or some clue would present itself. I had also replaced all the parts but my mechanic gave up. Above 15mph it was basically fine to drive around even with no power steering. Don't park in close quarters. Eventually I got used to this.

If you PM me I can give you some more specific suggestions but they are shots in the dark.

When you say you have PS after pressing on the accelerator, is that due to tire speed or is that due to the pump spooling up? Having "power steering" with the wheels in the air doesn't count. I had that as well but nothing on the ground. There is a check valve on the pump which includes a spring and sometimes people put that in backwards which limits your outgoing pressure of course. That would be one thing to check.

From what I was told by several people, I don't think the lack of a mesh on the solenoid will cause this symptom. I was told even if the solenoid doesn't work at all you'd still have some power steering. I have read about others who had difficult steering caused by a plugged up mesh so I can't say for sure. If you unplug the solenoid connector and apply 12v to it briefly then you should be able to hear it cycle (it's pretty quiet). There is an o-ring that seals the face of the solenoid. I did have to be careful to place it in its correct location to ensure no leaking when I installed it.

The last thing that happened before mine suddenly "worked" was running the fluid reservoir low due to a small leak. I don't know if that fixed some sort of cavitation at the pump or released something that was plugging things up, but suddenly I had power steering after a couple months of not working. It has been fine ever since.

Best of luck.